Happy Sunday everypony! Here’s you a late weekend addition to your podcast lineup. As we mentioned, we had an awesome time at Animation on Display and as part of that weekend we were able to secure not one but two interviews with MLP:FiM Supervising Directory Jayson Thiessen. We do want to thank him for giving us his time and being a totally awesome guest for our show. The first segment is part of a private podcast recording done in the Green Room at AOD and the second is part of a MLP Creative Q&A. We hope you enjoy.

13 Responses to Bronyville Extra: A Weekend with Jayson Thiessen

Wow. Ren and Stimpy, one of the very best animated television shows of all time, if not THE best animated television show of all time gets mentioned as a major, driving influence to Jason, and the crowd boos it??

Honestly, that reaction to R&S from the audience really disgusted me, greatly. I love Friendship is Magic a lot obviously, but this really brings home the fact for me that a lot of the other fans of this show are people who have never watched a cartoon before in their lives, and don’t know a thing about good animation from the past, whatsoever.

Ren and Stimpy was a brilliant show that completely reinvented the entire concept of a quality-based, personality and creator driven animated show pretty much single-handedly after a long extended period in the 80’s where animation was an assembly-line production.

Nearly every aspect that exists on Friendship is Magic today, from the quality of of storyboard driven, artist driven work as a creative input, to cartoon acting and expressive drawing, to the usage of the normally restrictive layout stage as a place for creative direction was pioneered directly from John K and the R&S team.

Without R&S to put artists and creators directly back into the cretive process of animation, you would not have a show as good as Friendship Is Magic today, and every single one of those people should be cheering, not groaning. Becuase everyone from Jason to Lauren Fust owes nearly all of their opportunities today to John K and the success of Ren and Stimpy.

And they themselves would tell you that. So no one should ever dare put down that show. If Jason cites it as an influence, you should accept it as an influence of his.

I love this show, but some of the fans can be so massively ignorant about actual animation history, and what they should be respecting, and what paved the way for what they enjoy today, sometimes.

I do have a hypothesis as to why people would react to “Ren and Stimpy” in such a way. It’s very possible that they weren’t even born by the time it originally aired (its final episode on Nickelodeon was in the mid 90’s, a depressing-to-note twenty years ago). A lot of attendees probably didn’t have any experience with it, and instead, associate “Ren and Stimpy” with its disastrous foray on Spike TV.

If the entirety of “Ren and Stimpy” was the Adult Party Cartoon reboot from 2005, yeah, I’d also be questioning Mr. Thiessen’s judgment in using that as an influence. But I agree whole-heartedly, the original “Ren and Stimpy” from the 90’s is a staple of animation history, and one of the greatest driving forces in television’s style and character.

It wasnt a large group giving a negative response. It was probably just one or two guys who just didnt like the show. Even though I agree R&S was an amazing show, not everyone has to like everything. Though a bit of respect is always necessary.

I could let the “boo”s slide if Jayson had been talking about the Adult Party Cartoon of 2003, but he wasn’t. The first season of Ren & Stimpy in 1991-2 was genuinely funny and so innovative relative to the cartoons of its time that it ended up changing the industry. It and, I’d say, Tiny Toon Adventures are what led US cartoon production from He-Man and Thundercats to Beavis & Butthead, Animaniacs, South Park, Family Guy, and Spongebob. Animation creators simply cannot overestimate the importance of those cartoons premiering at the time that they did.

From the comments I’ve read so many times on YouTube, EqD, ponychan, and elsewhere, too often do I get the impression that most of the internet audience has no recollection of popular cartoons before about ten years ago. For a fanbase of self-proclaimed animation enthusiasts, their lack of historical familiarity is jarring. Are they too young to have known? Are they too sheltered? Do they only watch sugar-coated Disney stuff?

While a “yes” answer to any of those questions reveals a poor excuse for ignorance on their part, there is at least one difference with which I have to agree: TV of the 80’s and 90’s often aired animation made decades before then: the original Looney Toons and Disney shorts, Scooby-Doo Where Are You, The Alvin Show, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Yogi Bear, Jetsons, Flintstones, Hanna-Barbera toons, Gumby, Schoolhouse Rock, etc. Viewers in the 80’s-90’s were frequently exposed to a wide range of historical styles and cultural influences on the same TV channels that aired newer cartoons, not on some extra cable package that cost more and most people didn’t have. Programming blocks mixed new and old right alongside each other, and audiences were exposed to more cultural watersheds at a faster rate.

There have been lots of shows and characters (not the ones I mentioned) that evoked similar reactions and had similarly unexpected fanbases as Friendship is Magic, but most of the internet fans seem to have either never heard of them or never watched any of their episodes. I feel like a little piece of history is being forgotten, and the implications are like a punch in the gut.

I’m sorry, I misspelled Lauren Faust. That was a typo, I didn’t catch before I hit enter. Lauren is amazing, and wonderful, and she deserves just as much respect for her contributions as John K does. I apologize for the typo, I didn’t meant to write it like that.

Let me also add that Ren and Stimpy and Friendship Is Magic share an overabundance of similarities.

First off, the expressiveness of the Main 6, all of the great macro images and funny reactions you see all over the internet, especially owing to episodes like Party of One and Lesson Zero… you would never see that if R&S hadn’t pioneered it. But even more subtle than that are the character’s faces when they register any kind of expressive emotion that doesn’t fall into the generic categories.

If anything ever contributed to everything that makes Friendship is Magic a huge success today, and those reasons why, between the stock, generic, assembly line production of Generation 1 ponies to the expressive, cartoony, character driven, creatively helmed storyboard/artist driven hard work and unique expressive personalities from the layout stage, it was soley Ren and Stimpy and it’s innovations of every part of the made-for-television process that everything from Spongebob, to My Little Pony owes EVERYTHING to, it’s Ren and Stimpy.

It really upsets me to know that there are a lot of pony fans today this ignorant to not understand, respect, and admire why the cartoons they enjoy today are as good as they are, and where they got almost ALL of that from. Ren and Stimpy was THE groundbreaking show in the 90’s that brought all of that innovation, and it’s where all of it springboards from.

Animaniacs, while at times decent, and I admit was a good show, relied too heavily on dialouge and script-written words on paper from writers, not artists, rather than expressiveness or artistry, and doesn’t deserve nearly as much of the praise for everything that makes cartoons today what they are.

Friendship is Magic is done with Storyboards. For modern television, Ren and Stimpy pioneered this. Friendship is Magic has expressive, believable characters that can be drawn to either extreme from wacky exaggeration to subtle cartoon acting cues. Ren and Stimpy pioneered this. Friendship is Magic relies on a greatly talented, crew of super talented artists and people with a definitive creative vision to get across, who turns out quality because of the team involved. Ren and Stimpy pioneered this.

Literally everything that makes MLP work with their fans today, is because Ren and Stimpy set that tone and PUT creativity back into cartoons, and revived creator-driven animation to the potential you enjoy now. Don’t ever forget that.

Actually, I’d like to point out that the “expressiveness” popularized by Ren & Stimpy didn’t originate with it (don’t get me wrong, R&S is one of my all time favorite cartoons that I still watch today). That would have been Bob Clampett, who John K states is his all time favorite cartoonist and greatest influence. John even does commentary for several Clampett cartoons on some of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs, and his reverence for the man is quite apparent. So while John/R&S may have re-popularized the whole “expressiveness” thing, Clampett originated it.

Check out The Great Piggy Bank Robbery sometime. That short is rife with influences for R&S.

Well, congratulations. You two are basically in the top tier of all brony fandom, in terms of contact with The Makers of the show. While I’m sure that boosts your egos quite a bit, you’re not showing any signs of overly swelled heads to this disconnected listener.

As for the huge rant over Ren and Stimpy, above, I actually know people involved in the creation of that show. I respect them. And I don’t watch R&S anymore; the grossification of things went too far, and even when it was regularly on TV, I avoided it as much as I could because of that.

But the animators, and the animation itself? Worth paying attention to.

hello, there, mr. Jayson Thiessen. the name’s andrew ealy 2nd. i heard you’re the director of my little pony, i’m a big fan of it and i’ve got something new to you to be made which is named “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:The Movie”,a giant egg is underneath equestria. King Sombra, Nightmare Moon, and the diamond dogs investigate the egg realasing the creature inside-an ultimate villain. he whom princess celestia and attacks canterlot. now the mane 6 will have to set off on an adventure of a lifetime to defeat their ultimate enemy and save princess celestia.

you outta make it like in tv series version,it should have a studio logo intro for it like lionsgate, would you make the tv show’s theme song in a movie version like into a 2+ high pinch voice?,

as the mane 6 finished defeating the super enemy’s ooze guys,they saw spike coming (out of breath) and he tells them that celestia’s being attacked.they were shocked and all went back to ponyville.as their there,they found out it was in a terrible mess.then they went back to canterlot.as the door broke down and the mane 6 gasp in shock they found out canterlot was in a terrible mess too,and they see princess celestia lying on the ground which is she’s dying,and they run to her. celestia given out her few last words to twilight and celestia slowly close her eyes which causes twilight to cry over her.then they hear luna and see her okay because she survived the the super villain’s attack.she tells them that something somewhere on a distant planet that will save celestia.

as the bird beasts were too difficult for the mane six to beat them,the mane six were sitting behind in front of a rock along with spike,the birds got them outnumbered,they wondered what they should do and applejack ask about calling out for help but spike replies to them that they don’t have to.the mane 6 were calling out for help before spike could finish and he ignores them until the master worrier came and attacks the birds.

as the mane six and spike were getting close to something that luna told them about, as something cobwebby garbed rarity head and hooves sticking out,she started crying “help me”.

twilight tricks the super villain by getting him to chase her into space.she stops where the comet could destroy him.he grabs her,she manages him to let her go.the other main five and spike where terrified that the comet could be here any second to beat him along with her .then a teardrop flow from her eye because she was replied by to him she’s a failure,then celestia,luna and the master worrier’s voices showed into twilight telling to her she will always be the most alicorn princess in all of ponyville,then twilight simply replies to him that she is not any fraud and breaks his grip by blasting him,she avoids while the comet destroys him for good and she returns to earth.the super enemy’s defeat awakens every pony from his hypnotizing spell.as she lands they all cheer for her and they all hugged.the mane six and spike return to canterlot. luna sadly replies that their too late.twilight suggests,and the all use their cutie mark symbol spirits of magic to revive celestia while restoring all of canterlot and ponyville. as celestia awoke,she brights in the air and back down there where all glad that she’s alive and back.and twilight and celestia hugged in joyful tears they miss each other.and rainbow dash hugs twilight winch choking her.

at the end of the film,a big celebration happen in ponyville even fred was there along with apple bloom,sweetie belle and scotoaloo. the princesses does the honers with twilight by shooting into the sky and fireworks appear from above.spike still dosen’t understand of one thing as twilight ask “what’s that,spike”? and spike replies asking how the the master worrier knows their name’s.and why did pinkie pie feels like she’s starting to forget something? as the scene turns to the boy who is still fighting the wizard on his own where pinkie leave them

and the boy replies asking “uh,pinkie pie,are you ever coming back?” and the wizard yells back “pony wizard Battle!” it then goes back to the celebration and everypony continued celebrating.

the last scene show the diamond dogs where crowning rover as nightmare moon and king sombra entered the lair in growl,the dogs replied in face to each other “uh-oh”. in shock they begin attacking the dogs as twilight flies and gives a wink as the film ends.

the master worrier who live on the distant planet is a cheetah girl, fred is a boy pony,give the bird beasts a name each and created by the super villain, and think of the opening and the rest of the scenes for the film by yourself.

i bet you liked it

make it work and happen before the 5th season if you please. it’ll be pony-riffic